A/s Level Photography, Simon Trahar
Glossary of terms: Technical
Descriptive/Emotional Words
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Good, well made, visually pleasing, strong
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Bad, poorly made, unclear, cluttered, ugly, weak
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Timeless/contemporary/traditional/formal
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Beautiful, scenic, sentimental, emotional
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Landscape/cityscape, exterior/interior
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natural/constructed, real/surreal, dreamlike
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warm/cold, bright/dull, punchy/flat, crisp/blurred,
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personal/impersonal, subjective/objective
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conceptual, metaphorical, emotional
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sad/happy, playful, childish, serious, shocking
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political, social, satirical, observation, humorous, sexual/erotic
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portrait, caricature, representation, official, record, document
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digital, manipulated, obscured, changed, re-worked
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diaristic (diary like), commentary (making a statement), aesthetic (the
way it looks is main factor), formal, candid, concerned.
Some principles of image composition are:
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Balance
Centres-of-Interest
Use of line
Texture
Shape
Tone
Colour
Contrast
Eye Movement
Figure/Ground relations
Framing
Light/Shadow
Pattern
Perspective
Scale
Symmetry
Ambient Light
The available light completely surrounding a subject. Light already existing in an
indoor or outdoor setting that is not caused by any illumination supplied by the
photographer
Background
The part of the scene that appears behind the principal subject of the picture.
Backlighting
Light coming from behind the subject, toward the camera lens, so that the subject
stands out vividly against the background. Sometimes produces a silhouette effect
Balance
Placement of colours, light and dark masses, or large and small objects in a picture to
create harmony and equilibrium.
Camera Angles
Various positions of the camera (high, medium, or low; and left, right, or straight on)
with respect to the subject, each giving a different viewpoint or effect.
Candid Pictures
Unposed pictures of people, often taken without the subject's knowledge. These
usually appear more natural and relaxed than posed pictures
Close-Up
A picture taken with the subject close to the camera-usually less than two or three
feet away, but it can be as close as a few inches.
Composition
The pleasing arrangement of the elements within a scene-the main subject, the
foreground and background, and supporting subjects
Contrast
The range of difference in the light to dark areas of a negative, print, or slide (also
called density); the brightness range of a subject or the scene lighting
Definition
The clarity of detail in a photograph
Density
The blackness of an area in a negative or print that determines the amount of light
that will pass through it or reflect from it. Sometimes referred to as contrast.
Depth of Field
The amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in
acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Depth of field depends on the lens opening,
the focal length of the lens, and the distance from the lens to the subject.
Diffusing
Softening detail in a print with a diffusion disk or other material that scatters light.
Double Exposure
Two pictures taken on one frame of film, or two images printed on one piece of
photographic paper
Exposure
The quantity of light allowed to act on a photographic material; a product of the
intensity (controlled by the lens opening) and the duration (controlled by the shutter
speed or enlarging time) of light striking the film or paper
Flash
A brief, intense burst of light from a flashbulb or an electronic flash unit, usually used
where the lighting on the scene is inadequate for picture-taking
Flat
Too low in contrast. The range in density in a negative or print is too short.
Flat Lighting
Lighting that produces very little contrast or modeling on the subject plus a minimum
of shadows.
Foreground
The area between the camera and the principal subject
Frame
One individual picture on a roll of film. Also, tree branch, arch, etc., that frames a
subject.
Graininess
The sand-like or granular appearance of a negative, print, or slide. Graininess
becomes more pronounced with faster film and the degree of enlargement.
Highlights
The brightest areas of a subject and the corresponding areas in a negative, a print, or
a slide.
Overexposure
A condition in which too much light reaches the film, producing a dense negative or a
very light print or slide
Panning
Moving the camera so that the image of a moving object remains in the same relative
position in the viewfinder as you take a picture.
Panorama
A broad view, usually scenic
Saturation
An attribute of perceived colour, or the percentage of hue in a colour. Saturated
colours are called vivid, strong, or deep. Desaturated colours are called dull, weak, or
washed out.
Selective Focus
Choosing a lens opening that produces a shallow depth of field. Usually this is used
to isolate a subject by causing most other elements in the scene to be blurred
Soft Focus
Produced by use of a special lens that creates soft outlines
Soft Lighting
Lighting that is low or moderate in contrast, such as on an overcast day
Time Exposure
A comparatively long exposure made in seconds or minutes.
Tone
The degree of lightness or darkness in any given area of a print; also referred to as
value. Cold tones (bluish) and warm tones (reddish) refer to the colour of the image in
both black-and-white and colour photographs.
Toning
Intensifying or changing the tone of a photographic print after processing. Solutions
called toners are used to produce various shades of colours.
Underexposure
A condition in which too little light reaches the film, producing a thin negative, a dark
slide, or a muddy-looking print
Vignetting
A fall-off in brightness at the edges of an image, slide, or print. Can be caused by
poor lens design, using a lens hood not matched to the lens, or attaching too many
filters to the front of the lens.